Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Updated: NASCAR On FOX Comments

Update: Keeping this post as the lead since the reader comments continue to come in. New post up Tuesday night. Thanks to all who took the time to leave a comment.

That's a Paul Menard crew member making sure the NASCAR official knows Jimmie Johnson's crew incurred a penalty on a pit stop. It was part of a great replay from the NASCAR on FOX crew. They also documented Johnson's pit issue and Carl Edwards apparently jumping the restart.

Last week I offered my opinion of the NASCAR on FOX telecast before giving you an opportunity to comment. This week, you get the first word now that the race is over.

Please leave us your opinion of the FOX telecast and update us on just how you feel about the Sprint Cup Series TV coverage this season? As always, we appreciate your honest comments as passionate fans.

The race was on FOX. Chris Myers hosted the pre-race show with Michael and Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip then moved upstairs to join Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds to call the race. Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Krista Voda were the pit reporters. Jeff Hammond was the roving reporter.

I was going to write a positive review for FOX's broadcast, but they decided to show only Kyle Busch finish. What was Kyle going to do that was so exciting? Cars were sideways coming off turn four for the finish, and we get to watch Kyle Busch slowing down.

Anyway, other aspects of FOX's presentation were stronger than ESPN's presentation. FOX tried to stay with the battles on the track, and the director caught a lot of bumping and frustration that ESPN missed last night. There is A LOT of tension in the series right now. That restart confusion and pit road hostility demonstrated that. The boys in the booth offered some interesting commentary on that restart penalty.

FOX needs to work on using the bumper/toy cams when the the shots are actually useful. Using them right after a restart is not useful and only limits the perspective of the viewers at home.

Mr Editor -Hyper-tight coverage too much again ...took an aerial shot to show #99 likely jumped the start, never mine that he may have been snookered or #Smoke may have spun tires ...wall marked at each track for start spot, so nothing new ...KyBu brought home another win for JGR, wow, spring magic for real ...best track on the circuit to watch real racing, but FOX chooses to limit aerial views that would have told the 'story' of racing all around the track ...DW only serves to embarrass himself further and steps all over a 'real pro', never allowing the race call to happen ...what a difference from K&N on SPEED when booth mates respect PXP guy and let him do his job...becoming a struggle to enjoy a race, but with HotPass, Twitter and MRN live streaming I will surviveWalter

Some good replays...so we know that Fox has cameras on the action on the track, so why do they only choose to show it on replays instead of live? Tight shots and gimmick cams discourage any perspective of what's happening on the track as it happens. It looked like a lackluster race from what I was shown on my TV screen. I have no idea what it looked like at the track.

I agree, pretty marginal for FOX. Short tracks should have cameras that are not allowed to zoom at all. Stay wide and show the action! Save tight nonsense for replays. There was some good racing throughout the field, such as the 48, 15 and 14 making their ways through most of the entire field. But did we see any of it? Not really. Instead FOX showed us Carl Edwards most of the evening, and gave us a "progress report" of where the real racing was actually happening. Far too often did something happen, the booth made a call, then a camera shows up 3 seconds too late. They went to a break during a critical lead change when Tony passed Kyle, then broke back in after Kyle had already stopped which proved to be a major development in the race once the goofy Burton caution happened. They had no idea who was running where while I could clearly comprehend Kyle Busch was the free pass car, Tony was the only leader that pitted and beat the caution without a mistake. They gave very little explanation of what the running order was on that restart which added to some of the confusion asto why Edwards was black flagged. Then DW tries to "buddy up" for Carl saying it was a borderline call while the camera showed it as blatant.

That is the kind of powder puff nonsense I cannot tolerate from this group. The pit reporters are great but under utilized, and now we can't even get a mid race interview anymore? Where was someone to ask Osborne to comment? At least make the effort so if he declines, we know you tried!

The driver in the booth and dude in the production truck are seriously handcuffing this network to subpar product while the fans suffer.

we didn't see much passing because no one was passing, i was on JJ hot pass (best of 4 evils for me) and after the first caution, there was no body side by side except for lappers to watch so i would give props to fox/speed for that all weekstill wish dw would get out of being in the booth

I was away from computer/internet/mobile access for this race. All I had was the Fox coverage. Gotta say, I enjoyed it. I didn't feel like I was missing much (of course, I didn't know if there was anything to miss) and I felt pretty informed. From what I've read so far, they got most of the action that took place. Sure, there's the usual tight shots, DW and MW running their mouths, but beyond that I thought it was well done.

Did you happen to notice that 5 laps after one if.the restarts, FOX did a "Crank it up" and all the cars were already in a straight line parade. NASCAR has to do something with these cars so drivers can race again. Great job by FOX explaining the restart!

Well I'm not sure what to think/say, besides I want something more or at least different!?...for a little background I'm a 'newer, dedicated' fan (I've watched very casually since I was ~6 yrs. old) now I'm 28 and have followed/watched Nascar for the past 4 yrs. pretty much obsessively but this season progressively has left something (more) to be desired and now I'm sitting here pondering 'why do I dedicate (or waste?)' all my time watching and reading about something all week that leads to a 'great' event that now never seems to come to fruition on raceday? I DO know if I stop my now seemingly, meaningless obsession, my wife will be much happier with me on racedays etc. So what am I supposed to do? Keep telling myself that well, it was a 1.5 miler and next week will be better/different? That's what I told myself the past 2 weeks and now I'm at this crossroads. I am/can be a patient person, BUT not forever! So now do I have to wait until just a few weeks before the Chase to become satisfied or until the 2013 car arrives, or will all that 'hope' just leave me even more dissatisfied with the sport and my seemingly fading obsession? Or should I just cut my losses now and move on and try to spend my life w/o Nascar?

The TV broadcasts are the same week in/out no matter what DW or whoever says and have really grown tiresome for me, and I'm not going to go on about it because, well, I can't do anything about it. Should I try and hold out and hope when the broadcast changes over to the brief TNT coverage or when Racebuddy returns, things will fix themselves or what?

I read Nascar articles all week, watch Nascar shows, and analyze history/practice/qualifying speeds all in hopes to get a grasp on forming the best fantasy teams for the week. Even if a driver or two (or more) burns me after my endless hours of contemplating, I'm now more let down by the product that I'm 'allowed' to see. Here's a thought for the broadcasts; at least TRY to emulate the broadcast to be what a fan in the stands would/might see and experience and bring that home because whatever you're doing/thinking is not working. Sorry. What's so wrong about switching the style up!? The media talks specifically about my demographic's lack of attention span, and according to them I must be a weirdo since I still follow the races, at least for now. So why don't you mix it up a bit!? (And I don't mean showing 10 different in-car cams or tight shots in a 30 second span)-I mean take a different viewpoint/approach altogether-you don't have much more to lose, seriously. It's because you have seriously misunderstood and undermined the demographic(s) you so desire!

I fell asleep 40 laps in, my wife woke me up in time for the "Ms. TERRY DEBRIS", that took the race from the 14. Another contrived finish, ain't the fans "HAPPY". You get what you ask for. Lots of empty seats, must be the fans have spoken again.

Well, you wanted honesty from a fan's perspective, so here goes. I'm embarrassed sometimes to even admit I'm a NASCAR fan. Do we really need "boogity boogity boogity boys let's go racing?" Do we really need another Waltrip on the panel? Although there are 43 drivers on the track all vying for tv coverage for their sponsors, we have biased commentary in the control booth. We need qualified, professional and unbiased analysts in the broadcast booth covering the race.

This week instead of boring races we fans were subjected to controversy, inconsistencies and invisible debris cautions. If FOX can review a crash, pit road penalty covering all camera angles, surely they can pick up a "Q-Tip with bubble gum attached to it in Turn 2 in order to bring out a caution and bunch up the field with only a few laps to go."

I've read this morning that the clowns on the pre-race shows, especially the Waltrip clowns, and during the race, kept harping on that the fans wanted more cautions and more wrecks to make the racing better. Since I quit watching the pre-race shows, and turn the sound off the TV during the race, I didn't hear that. Please tell me they didn't say it. And if they did, where are all these fans coming from? I don't know a single one that feels that way.

I have to say that after trying to watch just the Fox coverage last night, enough was enough after 50 laps and MRN was turned on and the TV sound on mute. I can no longer subject myself to the "Mouths of Kentucky" telling me what is right for fans or me. Plus I am sick of the entire production team treating fans like they are 6 years old. ENOUGH!!

Then the super tight coverage on cars going around the track. If they could do that all race then why not find and show the water bottle that caused the "phantom" caution? Funny thing....MRN said there was a hunk of metal on the track that caused the caution....never mentioned by Fox or any of the drivers, HMMMMMM???

As I posted on the #TDP1 thread last night on Twitter, I hope that NASCAR monitors threads like these and other forums on social media to see how disgusted fans are with the current TV coverage. This not only includes Fox but ESPN as Friday was almost worse.....if that could be imaginable.

What exactly was the penalty? They said "rolling a tire". All the teams rolls a tire.... There's so much chatter, we learn new rules (restart box anyone) every week. If they could spend more time treating this a real sport and less nonsense from the talkers...ah, well... Someone please help me with the penalty so I don't have to run through the DVR to figure it out.

Jimmy Johnson said this week that unless cars are running laps 0.3 seconds different per lap, they cannot pass. He said that all the cars are running laps 0.1 seconds apart, making it very difficult for cars to pass.

It seems like because the cars are so equal, they string out in single file, so there seemingly isn't much to talk about. And that causes the announcers to talk about the stuff that gets people frustrated on this message board.

I like watching cars pass each other, I don't need to see accidents or cautions.

These days, that excitement doesn't happen until the leaders start to lap the rear of the field. I'm watching on the DVR right now, we have the 29 and the 48 battling while the 13 in in their way ... the 11 and the 5 battle while the 38 is in their way. Unless lapping is happening, there isn't enough passing. Maybe that leads to too much random talking from the announcers.

I was at the race in Phoenix earlier this year ... the cars truly are running within 0.1 second each, so nobody can make up ground.

Tight shots sure help us read sponsor information.

I don't know that the broadcast last night was any better/worse than in the past. Maybe we're just tired of how little passing truly happens, and that causes us to over-focus on everything else.

I am not a fan of anyone who tells me I am too stupid to know what I watch racing for. I watch for competitive racing and racing for positions throughout the field. I look for overtaking, racing for and passing for positions throughout the field. If bumping, rubbing, spinning or perhaps a wreck occurs during this event, well, that's racing. If you think that disqualifies me as a race fan, maybe I don't like you as much as I once thought I did, and maybe you don't need me as much as you say I do.

But, hey, thanks for taking the time to let me know where I stand with you people and it's been nice knowing you.

As I mentioned last night, the next time the broadcast is this bad, I think we should get #fixnascartv trending on Twitter. If people elsewhere are as upset by the coverage as the readership here, it'll spread like wildfire. I would be amazed if NASCAR and the networks don't take notice.

NASCAR made a huge mistake by invoking the "wave-around" rule as well as the current method of double-file restarting. Previously, lining up the lapped cars inside of the lead-lap teams led to some exciting racing. The lapped cars would race their tails off to get a lap back, while the lead lap drivers had to maneuver around both vehicles for position as well as lapped cars. It made for some dicey racing.

I used to not really be that distracted by whatever faults the TV coverage of a race had. As long as I could say "hey, that was a pretty good race" every week, I could care less if they showed the leader the whole race. (That's not to say I'm a fan of tight shots, the Waltrip show and whatever else the networks come up with.)

This year, however, the terrible, boring racing on the track has caused me to dwell on the even worse production by Fox this season. Save for the Daytona 500, this makes ESPN 2007 look like, well, ESPN's great Sprint Cup coverage now.

Everything is sponsored -- the AT&T Mid-Race Report, the AT&T Race Break, the KFC "Hot Off The Wire" news update and so on. Fox's baseball coverage turned to crap once they started doing this, and NASCAR coverage is starting to circle that same drain.

The announcers aren't providing views, they're providing WWE-like gimmicks. You have "Good Ol' DW," "Larry 'Third-Person' Mac," "Mikey," "Hollywood" and so on. It really leads you to wonder if they're offering honest-to-goodness analysis. To his credit, Chris Myers has done a great job of ending his "newcomer" shtick, to the point where I don't mind him at all.

The racing's terrible, but it doesn't help when the camera shots fail to show you anything interesting.

Personally, I think there's way too much parity in NASCAR these days -- anyone can win on any given Sunday, and it cheapens the "shock factor" of it all. Just have a great pit stop or two, take advantage of a long green-flag run and enjoy Victory Lane.

It's not interesting or entertaining in the slightest, and no amount of TV coverage is going to make it seem better. It just doesn't help that Fox's coverage is really bad right now.

I DVR'd the race and didn't bother watching til halfway. At my Mom's, we sat outside in the cool night air talking. When I got home I started the replay from halfway and was able to ff past the boring stuff. Maybe that's why I'm actually going to have good things to say about the coverage! The announcers have changed their pacing, using shorter phrases and throwing it back and forth a bit more like PRN/MRN. That seemed to boost the urgency and kept the Waltrips to a minimum. I LOVE the Jeff Hammond shots in the crowd. I've been suggesting this for a couple years and I am pleased that someone over there has thought of it. Looks good! Now, if they just had the guts to interview fans in the stands during cautions it would put the fans into the story for real, not that "keep em at arms length" through social media crap. That's faux interaction. If the drivers aren't going to be entertaining, then look into the stands! Racefans never dissapoint. LOL Also, Richmond is very photogenic, not every track is. The overall camera angles were better last night than some and provided a fresher view than the formulaic presentation rut FOX gets into. (Well, they ALL do) As for not showing the rest of the field finishing I guess that doesn't bother me. I'd already thrown a brick through my set knowing I wasted sleep on watching that jerk Busch win. ;)

I have a feeling that the majority of NASCAR fans don't attribute the problems right now to the telecasts. If the telecast decides to zoom in on single cars running over long green-flag stretches, fans will call the race "boring" even if there was great racing back through the field. If the telecast fails to show the debris from a debris caution, we all see black helicopters, even if, as was apparently the case last night, there was a sizable chunk of metal on the track. I stumbled on this blog having never given a thought as to whether the quality of the TV broadcast affected my perception of a race. A bad race was bad because there wasn't much passing, not because the broadcast didn't show much passing, if you get my drift. I think the same is true of many NASCAR fans, especially given how we love to have divergent opinions and argue about stuff.

Maybe my perception is limited. Where else on the web is the vitriol flying against FOX? I'm not familiar with too many other NASCAR discussion boards. It's not necessarily happening on NASCAR.com; most of the debate seems to be about Edwards' restart and what the debris on the track was. If the broadcast had shown the debris, maybe NASCAR wouldn't have egg on its face.

Until I found "The Daly Planet" in '08 or '09, I thought I was developing serious memory problems, dismayed at my inability to follow a NASCAR race. I honestly thought I was losing it. After reading here a short while, I realized it wasn't me, it was the TV production, or lack thereof.

Even if DW were, by some miracle, be forced to sit at home and watch the broadcast (which he hasn't had to do in 40 years) it still wouldn't matter. He's been an insider way too long.

JD, I do hope you will continue the blog, but I support you whatever you decide to do, and I am grateful for this space you created for us.

After the last caution, when the race went green again, the camera shots chosen focused on the front two cars. I heard DW say something like, "The real race is for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th; those boys are really going after it!" We never saw it. That, Mr. Waltrip, is why your statements about great coverage fall on disbelieving ears.

Carl got black flagged because of the entire final lap of the caution, PLUS the restart, he maintained a position behind the pace car that he assumed the lead. Never did I see Tony position his car ahead of Carl. It was blatant. To have any sympathy for Carl that he was not allowed to give the spot back is inexcusable.

Also for FOX to "have their hands full" same.

I have been debating for awhile how to make these cars more caution friendly. Or more difficult to drive. NASCAR has a fairly easy fix here. Anyone remember when we went to this new car how the wing made cars easier to save? They had more side force so the drivers could recover from getting sideways and in theory race side-by-side. Well they go back to the blade and add this shark fin to duplicate the added side force, why not just do away with the shark fin and make the cars tougher to drive?

Just an idea anyways.

Also, may be time for RIR to put a new sealer down. Not a repave, just reseal the track to add some grip up high.

I'm not sure why you completely disagree with me. The coverage is bad, no doubt, but I doubt most people will see it as comprehensively bad coverage unless someone like yourself demonstrates how the coverage is bad. Unless someone broaches the topic of TV coverage, the blame will go elsewhere. Like I said before, if not for finding this blog, I might not have become aware of the problems with the coverage, and how they were affecting what I saw during a race.

I think the debris controversy from last night illustrates this. The blame went straight to NASCAR. Very little of it went to the broadcaster. The story is always "fake debris cautions"; I've heard almost no one outside of this blog call for the broadcaster to always show the debris to avoid this controversy. We fans are quick to cry conspiracy, but right now there should be more of an outcry for the networks to show the debris EVERY time.

Maybe I still haven't found the right places to look, but I truly don't think the majority of NASCAR fans are aware of everything that's wrong with the broadcasts. They complain about the commentators and the commercial loads, but there's much less talk about camera selection, following up on stories, showing full-screen replays, stuff like that. It takes finding a site like this to realize everything that's wrong.

Don't shut down this blog, by the way. It is in the best interests of both the fans and the sport that as many people as possible are made aware of the problems with the TV broadcasts. Losing your voice would be a victory for the sort of coverage we all hate.

Zetona, if you were active on Twitter you would see the reality behind it all. A blog like this is the tip of the iceberg.

Most of my readers are veteran fans who want to consume a well-produced telecast, just like an NFL or MLB game.

The pictures FOX selected leave any veteran fan frustrated. Never has NASCAR TV continually used this bully pulpit approach to forcing TV viewers to see what the network chooses as opposed to seeing the best action on the track.

I can tell you the pot that was simmering is now boiling over. It's time for a change.

Since I watch my favorite driver on Hotpass with sound muted, I DVR the race and just got through watching it. It was a complete disaster. It was all Waltrip all the time. Neither brother can keep his mouth shut for any length of time. I wanted a roll of duct tape to shut their mouths.

The camera gets worse every week. Bumper cams, side cams, in-car cams and every darn gimmick they can think of to stink up the telecast is being used.

I also don't appreciate someone telling me what I should think, and I'm tired of seeing tweets from somebody who thinks he is Mr Nascar telling me what a great job he is doing. All I can say is hotel/motel/gas prices better come down so they can fill the stands, because it won't be long until there will be very few fans willing to put up with this garbage.

JD, while I can certainly understand you not wanting to get in the middle of the mud slinging that seems about to take place, I would certainly miss a place to have civil discussion, or even disagreement, about aspects of the TV coverage that seem to be damaging Nascar and racing. I must say that I'm truly amazed that DW and others in the 'mainstream' media seem to think that insulting the people you expect to carry the freight to keep you in business is a good idea. I know I'm tired of being told what I should see as exciting, and that, if I don't I'm not a 'true' race fan. Even more surprised to see someone like Jimmy Johnson piling on. It doesn't seem that it would garner him more fans. But then, I appartently don't know, after 40 years of watching Nascar racing, what makes a race exciting.

Anyway, I hope you don't give up on the blog, but that's my selfish point of view. Thanks.

Sally, in addition to slamming me and the fans, Waltrip also took the time to single-out the NASCAR Fan Council as a big problem with the sport right now.

It's going to be interesting to see how that goes over with BFZ and the big boys who worked hard to establish that connection.

I just find it interesting that DW can single out the NFC and Twitter as problems but then he spent lots of time on Twitter today trying to make excuses for things like not showing debris, confusion with scoring and his comments that often did not match what was being shown on the screen.

As we have said many times over the past six years, you can't work both sides of the street.

Looking at Matt McLaughlin's columns, his recent "Is It Too Late to Save NASCAR?" clearly hit a nerve, and has far more responses than some of his other columns...nonetheless, it has about 50 comments by my estimate. The articles on the NASCAR.com homepage right now have anywhere from 67 to 3238 comments. I'm sure that if an article appeared on NASCAR.com critiquing the TV coverage in depth, it would get a huge number of comments. Unfortunately, there's not enough of this sort of criticism in "mainstream" channels, and that's why I think the vast majority of NASCAR fans aren't as aware of the problems with the coverage.

Maybe Twitter is that "mainstream" channel. I expect you'll see me there before too long.

JD, I remember finding you via SIRIUS a few years back and I have been a pretty loyal follower since. Haven't made the transition to twitter and I still feel very at ease with that decision. Figure it is better to just browse by here at times, then it is to be blasted with the never ending politically correct commercialism that the drivers and media want to push.

It would be awfully unfortunate to shut this blog down. Even if twitter is going to be your primary platform, this is still an excellent resource for you to post stories and expanded editorials about what is going on in our sport. While it appears to be an "us against the world" mentality when you put names like ESPN and FOX up against our relatively smaller voices, you still give us the ability to express it. And it still carries weight with people in this sport that do fight to make things better. Marty Reid and Steve Bynres have been prime examples of personalities that have seen our comments and tried to give our ideas a shot. Unfortunately their up against the same entities that we are.

This place HAS had an impact on the television coverage. Kyle Petty has used our suggestions, we now get side-by-side commercials at least in some shape or form. TNT brought out Race Buddy to give us a new angle. I cannot help but feel THIS blog was some sort of catalyst for those changes.

Thank you for all you do and have done for us JD. It truly is appreciated by many.

Last week, as FOX signed off, Michael Waltrip made what could only be described as a desperate please to the viewers to tune in next week. Forget all these spaced out cars and no wrecks, he said, next week at Richmond is guaranteed to be beating and banging and close side-by-side racing.

Didn't quite work out that way, did it? Even at Richmond, the big story was clean air, track position, and aerodynamics that prevented much in the way of true racing action. What a complete and total disappointment.

It was a race that was forgettable, at a track where years back we sat in rain to wait out the weather to watch the race. Now I won't waste what little cash I have to drive across the state to see Daytona July race.

I taped the race & went to a festival instead. I watched "race" today. It was hyper tight, bad coverage & Fox approved fan bashing.

Then the DW junk on Twitter today was just wrong.

I'm really disgusted with Fox, DW, JJ & any one else who wants to tell me as a fan what I should think or any attempt to tell me I want to see wreck.

Remember we lost Dale in a wreck.

What I want to see is R A C I N Gside by side, passing, & not all in replay Thank you.

JD this blog is valued by us all. You must be doing something right if its getting to the Powers that Be. You keep on.

I think this blog has had far more impact on race coverage that we might think. I would hate to imagine what it would have been if there was no blog. I also think it will have a positive impact on future coverage. Based on the pushback by NASCAR inspired "spokespersons", I think they are finally realizing there is a problem.

Zetona, I did not need JD or anyone else to tell me the tv broadcast was NOT what I wanted. People can label the broadcasts, media, blogs, etc. anyway they want. I had enough Wal..., tight shots, jumping cameras, cams, cams, cams. I stopped watching. JD, I would miss your articles and blog tremendously. MC

JD - What you have brought to the table is the ability for both new and old NASCAR fans to have a forum to express thier views in a rational and unbiased place. While we all may disagree on certain aspects of the ongoing TV coverage, we all agree that overall that us educated NASCAR fans are tired of being treated liked 2nd graders from the main stream media.

As OSBORNK said we can have a positive impact on the future coverage which is to be negotiated within the next two years. This blog in addition to Twitter and the #TDP1 stream is just two of the outlets that will allow it to happen.

Keep up the good work and don't get discouraged by what may be coming down the pike.

You can't fold like a tent because you've gotten the attention of Waltrip via Twitter. Bask in it man! The truth un-nerves folks. But if you're too skittish to continue, I hope you'll pass on your blog to others to continue. A forum like this is too valuable. Consider me; I'd totally take it over, kinda like a Dred Pirate Daly.

I've always liked FOX. For the past few years I considered them the best of the three networks in just about all aspects. Pit reporters, broadcast crew (yes, even DW), better at timing commercials, etc.

But last night was unquestionably the worst broadcast they've ever done. Possibly even surpassing some of the ESPN stinkers from recent years.

So for comparison purposes, I thought I'd go to Youtube and look at an old Richmond race. As I'm a Gordon fan, my first instinct was to look at the 2000 Monte Carlo 400, brought to us by ESPN.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHcy3vAoovY

What I notice:

There are a grand total of 0 in-car views used in those last 8 laps.

Any tight shots are focusing on an actual battle for position, regardless of where it is in the field.

Any shot from a particular camera (most of them nice and wide) is held long enough to give the viewer time to make sense of what they're seeing.

When Ted Musgrave has a problem, they take the time to show it, instead of just telling us about it.

They hold the nice and wide finish line shot until everybody has crossed.

Overall, the entire flow is just so much better.

And as a general comment on the racing, which has its own set of problems, with 6 laps to go last night, only 4 laps after a restart, the gap between Kyle in 1st and Tony in 3rd, was by my estimation at least 2 seconds. FOX didn't bother with the intervals. And while I have no idea where the cautions may have fallen in 2000, with 6 laps to go then, 2 seconds back from Gordon counted 6 cars. Yes, double what we got last night.

The problem is much deeper than in car cams and wide shots. The problem is the on track product. Richmond has always been a great race. This race was BORING, and it would have been boring on FOX, TNT, ESPN, any channel. Why is it tradional venues for great races, Daytona, Bristol, Richmond, others, are now producing absolute stinkers? Let me tell you, it isn't FOX. Every fan who had the misfortune to attend a race this year wasn't bored silly because of FOX. It is the racing, or should I say the complete lack thereof.

"The coverage is bad, no doubt, but I doubt most people will see it as comprehensively bad coverage unless someone like yourself demonstrates how the coverage is bad. Unless someone broaches the topic of TV coverage, the blame will go elsewhere. Like I said before, if not for finding this blog, I might not have become aware of the problems with the coverage, and how they were affecting what I saw during a race. "

I have to agree. I'm not a TV professional, just watch it. But I do like racing and can't stand a camera change when a good battle is going on. So, I would say that had I not found this place a couple of years ago, I would not have realized how bad the coverage was.

It is getting almost unwatchable these days. There's no rhyme or reason to where the breaks are, what camera angles are used, etc. Something exciting happens and they immediately go to a commercial. Then they run that here's what's happening in the Sprint Cup series..." ad like we haven't invested 2 hours in the race already?

John, please don't quit. I remember a scene in JFK where one of the characters tells Kevin Costners' character "You can't quit. There's alot of light on you right now, and they know it." You, my friend, pose a threat. A valid real threat. It reminds me of another famous line from a movie. I want so bad to tell it to DW, NASCAR, and the powers that be: "Get ready. Because Hell is coming for breakfast."

Mr Editor -IMHO, if you feel you're getting mired in the middle of this, right on ...it means this blog is being read ...there have been 'biting comments' directed here from those who are uneducated and unappreciative of the sport's tradition or who have only 'ego-centric' comments to share - example anyone posting on Twitter with a last name beginning with "W" ...nothing ever gets changed without discussion, but without input from the 'suits' who script the telecasts there can be no discussion ...ergo, the disparate production principles espoused by ESPN/FOX versus those of SPEED (F1, Trucks, K&N) ...qualified, professional PXP and commentary on each of those broadcasts ...JD, whatever your decision, I'll be tagging along ...this from a 50+ yr fan who laments the failing of NASCAR's 'suits' to uphold and promote the sports in today's rapidly changing media sceneWalter

JD, I understand why you don't want to be in the middle of the "mess", but please don't discontinue the blog. It's the only place that I can come and talk about NASCAR with people who aren't "insane". It sure helps keep me sane and have a reasonable perspective about a sport that I follow.

I also appreciate the work you do to keep the site from being overwhelmed by the awful language and manners that permeate so many other msg boards.

I was home on Saturday so had the TV on for most of the race, but with the sound down. I turned it up once in a while when they were showing a replay so I could hear what the explanation was but for the most part, I got my information from the MRN feed on trackpass.

Short track racing used to be the best - I can't tell from the camera work now if the racing is good or not. Radio paints a better picture of what I MIGHT have seen if only someone would show it.

Zetona, I have to say that I had already BEEN frustrated with the TV coverage and trying to get any word to NASCAR long before I found JD's blog. I used to waste my time sending letters and e-mail to the powers that be in Daytona Beach. The response to any e-mail sent was always the canned "your message is important to us". Ha, yeah, right. Up until a couple of years ago when the wheels obviously started to come off of things - fans no longer buying tickets, ratings falling and the like, NASCAR started its Fan Council. I really doubted if anyone was actually reading those surveys, but apparently they might actually be paying attention after all.

DW has always been "emotional" and not always rational in his responses. If NASCAR was upset about the prior "twitter-gate" episodes, they'd better hold onto their hats because this one has the fans vs TV personality with the input of a 5X chase winner to boot! Not really sure what the heck JJ is thinking in all this - other than he too has gotten such a big head since he's Mr. Wonderful at HMS. He's also the driver who hired a PR firm to help him get more fans -- he should probably check in with them -this isn't the way to do it.

I'm a race fan - I want to see racing - at the track and on TV. I'm not there for the wrecks but I'm not paying $$ to see a high speed parade either.

NASCAR promoted this ugly car as the answer to "aero push" but it hasn't worked and I hate everything about the look of the lookalike car. I don't cheer for a decal and the IROC series failed.

I have a twitter account but I don't follow DW or JJ -however I may just change that so I can have some words for both of them.

During the Texas Race I sent out a rather Generic Tweet saying that Any of the sponsors that signed up with Fox are getting their money's worth. Apparently it struck a nerve with BSI's Andy Jeffers and I got the standard reply who do you think is going to pay for this race if we don't have sponsors.

I had a discussion with him that I understand the need for sponsors and understand how much hard work goes into a broadcast I just wished they didn't waste all the money on a horrible broadcast. We don't get to see the race at home.

That is the problems, NASCAR TV partners think the IQ of a NASCAR fan is 50points lower than that of any other big time sport in this country.

During the prerace show for Richmond, after enduring NFL team, questions 1 minute of MLB on Fox segments and some childish questions to the waltrips I tweeted to @NASCAONFOX with the #gasngo hashtag and politely asked when they where going to shut up and show the race?

I got a reply saying David that is harsh but the race will be starting shortly. I replied thank you and asked if they could show some wider shots this race please. No reply..

We are not idiots, the TV Networks don't treat any of their other fans to this sort of broadcast and the Leagues involved would never put up with it.

I was editing pictures the fist half of the race and it was on the TV in the room, All I heard was DW 75% of the time, then Mike Joy, not sure Larry Mac was there, Then Mikey and the other guy in the infield. During green runs couldn't they find some action? DW hasn't raced full-time in over 10 years, he is no Ned Jarrett and never will be. He needs to be toned down..

I have a simple request of the NASCAR TV Partners, show me the races, there is some action out the track and don't treat me like an idiot.

Honestly I don't think that will happen again.

JD I can understand your plight, thanks for all you have done for the fans I really appreciate it and hope you keep the blog up..

Don't let them get to you JD! The truth will persevere. I don't normaly watch Speed Center or Victory Lane, but did so this weekend. Boy did they mess up the end of Saturday night's race. The 'water bottle' caution is typical of Nascar's gaming the races. Stewart should be upset. Whether Tony or Carl was the leader at the last restart is a moot point. The videos clearly show Edwards jumping the start. But now The Hub and Nascar Now will have something to chew on this week. It's best to just ignore fools like DW. He's his own worst enemy with the stupid things he says. Fans want RACING, not wrecking. In hindsight, the COT has been a disaster for competitive racing. Sure, the safety features are commendable, but it's not a great race car. The broadcasts are terrible, the cookie cutter tracks are a bore, the races too long and the COT stinks. Other then that, Nascar is doing just great.

Darrell Waltrip needs to be a man, and call you ,John. Call you up and have a serious discussion. Not hide behind his ego and Twitter. Darrell, that sound you hear is Revolution Calling. You need to listen for a change.

It is TV's job to show us what is there, good, bad or in between. I am no fan of JJ's, but he had a point in saying they're so much closer now in speed than they used to be that that's why they can't pass. Brad K said that they can't get close enough to each other to hit. So I get that the new cars are causing *some* of this; and the drivers and crew chiefs have made public suggestions at ways to help, but NASCAR ignores them. Yes, the tracks need to work harder at providing a better experience for fans, as does the travel business.

So some of the problems are NASCAR's package, some are the businesses, some the tracks--but that doesn't give the TV production the excuse to put out a product this poor. Take football--even if a game is a blowout, TV is obligated to cover it. However, they don't show just the star quarterback. They don't show 2 or three guys the first time we see a play; they wait and use the multiple angles on replay. Race fans never get the chance to see a bigger picture. We are at their mercy; they hadn’t even gone a lap when FOX cut to the in car. Combine that with DW's buffoon act and reading the drivers’ minds....and barely letting Mike do his job, talking over Larry (who makes SO much more sense)...then you add the ridiculously biased Mikey into the mix, and it's just awful. Why did they stop using the pit reporters? They’re supposed to be lining up people to talk to (briefly) and giving us information. I can’t give a full review because as usual, I had no idea what was going on down the field so I had to turn on MRN and shut off DW. I don’t know that I thought it was the worst broadcast ever, but probably the worst Richmond broadcast ever. I don't know how NASCAR can put the screws to them, but they need to do something.

Watched HotPass. Wish I could use my 46 inch, HDTV to watch race on full screen. Just too frustrating.

Can some one tell me why they have to play irritating music over talking. (I do watch FOX from the invocation through start of race). You can not hear/understand when they are scrolling starting line up, pit reporters, etc. Speed does it with the truck races. Not sure about ESPN. Totally ANNOYING!

Darrell, if you want to talk to a stupid fan, I'll be in Darlington this next week. I have back stretch seats 5th row up. I'll gladly talk to you and listen to how stupid I am. By the way, I pay your salary, so why don't you do us all a favor and shut your mouth.

Sbaker17, I love it! Except, I'm so stupid, I didn't get it initially. If I wasn't so stupid, I'd turn on the t.v. this weekend and watch the Talladega race. I'll sign off now, John, but I'm not sure I'm smart enough to work a computer... Darrell, I'll let you walk between the rain drops all b your self, since you are the smartest man in the room...Sorry, John, I know it's juvinile, and you are a class act, but Darrell hit a nerve with all of us. I'm going to have a shirt made when I go to Darlington this weekend that says "Stupid fan". But i'm too stupid to do it.

Look I enjoy listening to the race thru the radio, but watching it on tv... Oh yeah, I use twitter to & trust me I'm fully entertained when I put my xm radio on one of their 3 scanner picks for the weekend. Trust me y'all, you don't have to birch, Social Media & internet will keep you fully entertained if the Waltrip twins get on your nerves.

Here are my ideas, Eliminate most of the on air staff. get rid of the waltrips and the hollywood hotel, Just have Mike Joy and someone else in the booth. keep the pit reporters but use them more. That should save a few thousand in salaries and other expenses. This would eliminate the need for a commercial or two during the broadcast. Let the crew chiefs get imaginative again by taking away all the rules. let them race whatever rear gear they want. let them use different shocks at the restrictor plate races, let the cars be different. let them adjust the spoilers, let the crew chiefs set up cars "outside of the box". Don't penilize them for being creative. And stop throwing cautions to bunch up the field. get rid of the lucky dog and the wave around. You get lapped, tough. get rid of Competition cautions. you miss the set up after it rains, you get lapped. Racing was much better in the eighties even if there were only three cars on the lead lap.

What a sorry show Race Hub was last night. The set up teased all the pit road incidents. Do they toss to Matt, who's their pit stop expert? No, They go to Eliott Sadler! Huh? They eventually get around to asking Matt his opinion. As for the legitimacy of Nascar throwing a caution for a water bottle with less then 10 laps to go (Kyle Busch later on the show said it was a Coors Lite beer can), they waited until the very end of the show and only discussed Tony's 'frustration'. They never said a word about whether Nascar should have thrown a caution at that time. Those Hub guys know who butters their bread. They had a lengthy interview with Kyle Busch but never asked him about the restart box. I mean, why would you ask one of the best restarters in the business? Actually, a few years ago Kyle was the victim of what Carl did and no one was black-flagged. At that time, Kyle explained how restarts are supposed to work. Instead, Hub focused on who thought whom was the leader approaching the last restart. But hey, why stick with the facts? The 'Stupid Race Fans' don't know any better.

anon 7am...they showed the pit box graphic several times with Elliott (which, as a driver, he would certainly be familiar with), and then compared the other restarts. Now, comparing them to other restarts was *somewhat* relevant, and yes, it would have been good to ask Kyle about it too, but seeing as how they had already asked Elliott, who was at the *same* racetrack on Friday, it wasn't critical. But none of the things you mention made it a 'horrible show'. They had the winning driver on to interview. They are not, and will never be, that critical of NASCAR--*because they like their jobs*. Personally I think NASCAR is way too protective of itself, but no one has been able to change that. There is nothing new about this, Racehub is generally a feature show with news segments in it.

Please follow Twitter to get a first-hand account of Waltrip trolling my comments.

Why not just repost them right here so that everyone can see what DW is Chery Picking and what he is saying?Right here where the discussion is happening.Why not join in on the conversation too DW?Though I still didn't get to see the race we did for the first time mute the TV and my surround sound and listened to MRN on the lap top speakers. like taking a shower, refreshing.JD, you don't want to get betweenall of this or something like that: Who else has the voice with the knowledge and experience to go along with it? You put yourself right smack in the middle of it in 2007 and became an oasis, a refuge for frustrated and dedicated fans to go. Apparently this has struck a chord, now is the time to tighten and pluck that chord. Backing off now will empower those that are obviously now circulating the wagons so-to-speak and now is the time to push for if nothing else an honest and open discussion and change.

I'd like to see proof of DW calling fans stupid. I'm just asking...JD did you hear this yourself, or did you hear someone's "interpretation" of something DW said? Was this from an article on the internet, or was it from an interview on SIRIUS? I would just like to see the actual quote.

The reason I'm asking is, if this stems from his remarks on an interview on SIRIUS last week, all he was saying is that 20 years ago, there were no fan councils or twitter or anything like that, so people had no immediate way of expressing their opinion, like they do now. That's a simple statement of fact. There is nothing in that statement that says fans are "stupid".

If I'm wrong and this comes from some other interview or article, I think we'd all like to see it.

Whoa! I just posted a previous comment without reading through the other posts!

When I returned to catch up, I saw a couple of "don't stop the blog" comments, I retraced to see what was up.

Yikes!

I remember to this day when I found your blog. Pretty sure it was your first year. Why do I remember it? Because I found someone else who was frustrated with the broadcasts of races and saying things I had been yelling at my TV. I remember finding, through this blog, fellow race fans who thought like me. A big part was that you monitored the blog, so no foul language and personal attacks. I also remember, correct me if I'm wrong, that it started with ESPN,with their new contract. At that point FOX seemed way better than ESPN (Brent M., Susie K, etc). My how things have changed.

I am offended that the TV side thinks that you brainwashed us against FOX. Ridiculous. I can think for myself.

That DW would even make a comment regarding the fans and NFC is beyond comprehension. That's right, just shut off social media, surveys, any form of feedback. Then FOX & ESPN can just stick their heads in the sand and go about their merry way.

I can understand why you may want to move on. But JD, you have made a big difference. Many things changed because of you and the fans that follow you.

Following much discussion on The State of the Sport, the television coverage, the racing itself so far and with a (still hopeful) eye toward the New New Car in 2013 the question before the committee today at lunch: Do we go to Talladega or do we suspend our race activities leaving an option open for the Night Race?

Ancient, wow, so after however many years, no Dega for your crew this year?

I am somewhat in the same boat. I have tickets for the All Star race, but after pricing plane fare, plus all the other costs involved, gas, parking at the airport, I've decided not to go. Better to eat the $ I've spent on just the ticket rather than add more on top of it. Especially honestly, since Humpy's been gone, it's just not as much fun as it used to be. Marcus isn't Humpy for sure.

So DW and JJ may think I'm a stupid race fan, but I can calculate my budget and I'll just put that money into something other than NASCAR.

a concept that JJ & DW should give a lot of thought to - if a lot of "stupid race fans" decide to do that - they won't have an audience" ala Matt McLaughlin's "is it too late to save NASCAR" column.

for a long time it was NASCAR treating the fans as if they were stupid, but then they setup the fan council and although I didn't really think it would help, it seems that it actually may have - along with this blog. Then the networks (including Kenny Wallace and his "listen up, race fans" shtick) and now DW & JJ have gotten into the act. Maybe we should just get the message - maybe the networks and the drivers don't want us fans around.

Obviously DW's comments struck a nerve with many of the regulars on here. But those same people would be upset if he said it was partly cloudy outside, when they think that it is partly sunny.

If those comments alone are what made people think he was calling fans stupid, it says more about those fans sore spots then it does about him. He is entitled to his opinion just like those criticizing him.

Well here's the latest from Chris Myers, "Sunday #NASCAR on fox, at noon our Michael Waltrip will drive in talladega race as well as broadcast it with us from prerace thru post race".

We can't get away from the Waltrips. Of course Michael wrecks at every RP race, so soon he'll be back in the booth. But until then, we'll have MW trying to race and talk at the same time. Won't that be fun?

WTH is going on with FOX? Do the Waltrips have evidence of a feloy committed by someone in upper management? Are they blackmailing them? Surely there is noone so stupid as to think either Waltrip is capable of broadcasting a race without it all being about them.

This (and I watched the presser) was the DW comment that really got under my skin:

"DW says the ones who usually criticize and complain the most on Twitter are the ones with the fewest followers."

There is far too much small "r" republican in me to accept that kind of remark. I find it arrogant and tasteless. Typical of what might be called the "Kiss Up Stomp Down" mindset. For some reason he believes those of us who do not measure up to his "standards" are not worthy -- we are beneath him and his fellow "swells" and our opinions are not to be considered.

JD said,"He is totally entitled to his opinions about all of us stupid fans."

Well, if it weren't for all us stupid fans, NASCAR would have nothing. It's the stupid fans who stupidly spend their money to attend stupidly boring races (although that number is falling faster than my butt on ice skates), and it's the stupid fans who stupidly watch the stupidly produced races on TV. Where would DW be if not for the stupid fans? Sitting on his porch in Tennessee, whittling corncob pipes and chewing on pieces of hay.

JD, don't let the jerkwads get you down. It's obvious that you've hit a nerve and the old saying "Methinks thou doth protest too much" fits very well here. It's obvious that DW is nervous about the goings on at Fox and the only way for them to get any personal comfort from this travesty, is by bashing the one who bears the bad news and protesting fans' comments. DW is an idiot, who's better served by retirement and letting someone else who's not so insulting, broadcast the races. That, plus NASCAR waking up and realizing that racing is boring and their rules using a Etch-A-Sketch are losing fans quicker than they're losing sponsors.

Of course DW is entitled to an opinion. But here's the thing about people having the right to speak their minds. That means fans are also free to react negatively to the things he says if they believe he's belittling them. Him having the 'right' to say it doesn't mean people have to respect what he says. I don't 'hate' him; I think he's misguided. And he's *always* been arrogant, even when I was a fan (which I was) of his as a driver. But my opinion of him has diminished over the years....mostly because his words & actions have turned me off.

This (and I watched the presser) was the DW comment that really got under my skin:

"DW says the ones who usually criticize and complain the most on Twitter are the ones with the fewest followers."

There is far too much small "r" republican in me to accept that kind of remark. I find it arrogant and tasteless. Typical of what might be called the "Kiss Up Stomp Down" mindset. For some reason he believes those of us who do not measure up to his "standards" are not worthy -- we are beneath him and his fellow "swells" and our opinions are not to be considered.

Just by way of comparison, using the Waltrip Rule":

As of right now DW has 160,045 followers.

I will note, however, DW does beat out Miss Piggy who clocks in at 103,152

Jus' sayin

May 1, 2012 5:33 PM

AR: I just followed Miss Piggy. If enough do the same, we can get her ahead of Mr. Pompous

I was told by JD on this blog a couple years ago that people like me were what was wrong with NASCAR, when I said I don't have a specific driver I am rooting for. Is that inline with your description of DW, "... believes those of us who do not measure up to his "standards" are not worthy"

The negative social media is similar to sports talk radio when people call in complaining about the decisions of their favorite teams. Should those callers cause the Miami Heat to change their direction? Or are they a certain segment of the fans, that while vocal and passionate, aren't necessarily any better equipped at making the same decisions they protest?

At what point the the tail wagging the dog. That was how I interpreted DW's complaint.

I wonder what "ol DW thinks when he sees all those empty seats at the races? If indeed the fans are at fault by his thinking, it shows that they are not going to be fooled and not attending races will emulate that fact. He is one SAD individual. Gina, I'm sorry you are missing the All-Star race, but don't blame you one bit. Unfortunately I believe many critical NASCAR fans are doing the same thing for many different reasons, and so many folks just can't be wrong, can they?